Dreaming Our Lives Away
by Unspoken Tragedy
Summary: PreHBP! Harry and Severus start meeting each other in strange, lifelike dreams, only to realize: these aren't exactly dreams, and if they don't work together.. They may never wake up. HP.SS Mentorship
1. And I thought This Was Just a Dream

**Title: Dreaming Our Lives Away**

**Author: Unspoken Tragedy**

**Rating: PG-13, and will most likely stay this way.**

**Spoilers: All five books**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  I doubt I even own the plot.  I wish I owned Severus and Harry… But I'm just not that lucky.**

**Summery: Harry and Severus start meeting each other in strange, life-like dreams, and soon come to realize that these dreams are more real than they could ever have imagined.  They must now learn to work together, or they might never wake up. **

**Series: none yet**

**A/N: This story takes place in the summer after Harry's fifth year.  The Characters may be a bit OOC, but I'm striving to keep them as canon as possible.  This story is Harry & Severus centric.  This is NOT now and NEVER will be slash, so don't bother asking.  Dream sequences are in italics.  The disclaimer/info for this story will not be posted after this first chapter.  If you want to see it then you can return to chapter one.  Please R&R, the more reviews I get the more motivation there will be to post quickly.  -wink-wink- ;)  **

**Dreaming Our Lives Away**

**Prologue: And I Thought This Was Just a Dream**

_"_Morning comes, soon you will wake

And see this was more than just a dream.

In your mind, hidden away,

This twisted reality."  

                     -Unspoken Tragedy

  _Harry silently took in his surroundings.  This place seemed so strange, even though he could not make out the reason why.  He was in a dark forest, one much tamer than the nefarious __Forbidden__Forest__ on Hogwarts' grounds.  Huge assorted trees encircled the small clearing he stood in, along with numerous bushes, weeds and wildflowers.  Logs and the occasional boulder lay scattered among the weeds, as if put there to break up the horrible monotony of it all.  Birds rested in the trees above, and their soft songs and trills were among the many sounds that flooded his hearing.  Rustling of bushes and weeds attested to the existence of small creatures in this forest, creatures which the __Forbidden__Forest__ was curiously void of._

_  Ah_, that's_ it.  If this wasn't the forbidden forest then _where_ was he?  He had never been in any other forest, as the Dursleys were not ones to hike, and if they had been it wasn't as if they'd actually invite him along with them._

_  'Maybe I'm dreaming,' he thought, but dreams never had seemed as vivid as this before.  Unless this was a vision.  Although it was highly unlikely Voldemort would be in a place like this, much less send Harry dreams about it._

_  '_Maybe he wants you to go there_,' a voice whispered in his mind._

_  'Yeah, right,' he thought, 'As if I would fall for _that _one again.'_

_  Without any other options, Harry decided to stay where he was and think of  a way out of this place.  As nice as it seemed, he was well aware of the fact that some of the nicest seeming things were actually the most wretched.  Take Tom Riddle and Gildroy Lockhart for example, seemingly great guys who were in reality a murderous dark lord and a blithering idiot, respectively.         _

_  Harry sat down against the thick trunk of a tree and considered his situation.  'OK.  I'm in a forest, a nonmagical forest I'd wager, without food, a weapon of any sort, or my wand.  I have no clue whether I am awake, and if so how I could possibly have gotten here.  I am apparently alone, and this forest may be anywhere from a mile to hundreds of miles long._

'Great, I'm doomed.'_  As soon as the thought had crossed his mind, a new sound assaulted his ears.  It was much more sinister than the rustlings and calls which the animals had made, in fact Harry would bet his broomstick (which technically he _couldn't_ as Umbridge had locked it away the previous school year) that this sound was not made by an animal at all._

_  He stared into the trees, hoping to make out the outline of a deer or...  Well just anything other than what he'd suspected he had heard.  But as his luck seemed to hold out just as well as it had for the past five years, his fears were confirmed.  It was a _man_ coming through the trees towards him, his entire figure shrouded with a great, black cloak._

_  Now this would not be as frightening to Harry had it not been for the fact that there was a dark lord out for his hide, along with said lord's minions.  He was defenseless; _nothing_ he could possibly do would be able to stop the Lord Voldemort from killing him on the spot.  Well, that is nothing except the fact that Voldemort was a sadist and would most likely want to torture him into a slow and painful death._

_  The figure was not much more than twenty feet from him now, but it appeared as though he had not noticed Harry yet, until he turned directly towards him, his face hidden by the cloak's hood.  To Harry's utter amazement the man staggered, as if surprised by his mere presence._

"Potter?"_ asked a strangely familiar voice loathingly, as the hood was lowered to reveal one of the last people Harry would have expected- or _wanted_ to see._

"Professor Snape?  Where are we?"

_  The dark haired professor sighed, running a hand through his lank, shoulder length tresses.  "I don't know, Potter," he ground out._

_  "How can you _not know?_" _

_  "Maybe the same way in which you do not," Snape growled glaring at the younger wizard._

_  'Great,' thought Harry, 'Now I am not only stuck in the middle of a forest without food, water, shelter and a weapon of any kind, I am also stuck with the _man_ (as if _Snape_ could be considered one) who _killed my godfather_.'_

_   Snape himself looked as though he could use a few more meals.  His face was thin and pale, the skin marred slightly by a small, bleeding cut across his cheek, probably obtained by being struck by a branch.  His eyes held dark purple bags under them, and his robes were dirty and scruffy as Harry expected his own were. _

_  "Well_, sir_, what do you propose we do?" Harry sneered slightly, wanting nothing more than a wand so he could curse Snape into the afterlife.       _

_  "_We_ will be doing nothing.  _You_ will be silent while _I_ think of a way out of this mess," Snape snapped, although Harry had the sneaking suspicion that the wizard had already had plenty of time to think things over and was just trying to save himself from the embarrassment of admitting that he was just as clueless as Harry._

_  After a long moment's pause, in which Harry simply watched a droplet of blood trickle down Snape's cheek, half wishing it was more and half wondering at the sight of _Snape_ bleeding, Snape broke the silence.  "Do you remember _anything at all_ before you got here?"_

_  Harry's face screwed up in thought as he considered that.  "I was in bed," he said thoughtfully, "Thinking… (He ignored the snort this comment triggered.) I closed my eyes… And that's it."_

_  "Then we've got to be dreaming," the Potions master realized, "Neither of us can remember anything after lying down to sleep…  But it just doesn't make sense…"  His voice drifted off into silence._

_  "Erm, sir, _what_ doesn't make sense?" Harry prodded, shocked that his teacher would actually divulge the fact that something had stumped him._

_  Snape started as if he'd forgotten Harry's presence.  "I don't know if you haven't _noticed, Potter_, but we're having the _same_ dream.  That's not exactly a normal occurrence, don't you agree?_

"We need to wake up Potter."

-.-****

  "_We need to wake up Potter."  _Severus' own words echoed in his head as he woke up from his fitful rest. 

  Strangely enough, he had slept through the night without having any nightmares, or rather _memories_.  He groaned softly as he glanced as his clock: 8:35, he was late for breakfast.  Severus flung aside the covers, which just so happened to be green and silver, much like the rest of his quarters, and rolled of the bed.  He pulled on his silk, black bathrobe, stepped into a pair of slippers and groggily made his way to the bathroom.  His sleep may have been void of nightmares, but it certainly had not been restful.

  He washed his face, got dressed, and left his rooms for the Great Hall.  It would not do for him to miss breakfast altogether, as he hardly got enough food as it was.  And he remembered the last time he had passed out due to lack of nutrition… Poppy forced him to stay in the hospital wing for a _week_, even though all he needed was a few good meals.  No, it wouldn't do at all.

  Snape stalked down the empty hallways, reveling in the peacefulness that only the holidays could bring.  Summer holidays had begun barely a week prior and Severus had not been all too sad to see the children go, well that is all with the exception of the Slytherins, his own house.  In his heart he had always seen the Slytherins as his own children, even if he'd never admit it out loud.  It was his job, as their Head of House, to protect them and he took this responsibility _very_ serious.  Many of the other teachers were angered at Snape's seemingly biased relationship towards his children, but if he was biased in their favour it was only because of their _prejudices_ _against_ the Slytherins. 

  In fact, contrary to what the other teachers and students believed, he _did_ punish his house for misconduct, just not in front of the other houses or teachers.  He was their only ally in a school of enemies, and he was not about to lose that relationship he had so painstakingly constructed with them. 

  Absorbed in his thoughts as he was, he had nearly passed the Great Hall.  Stopping abruptly, Severus pushed the large oak doors open and strode into the Great Hall, gaining odd looks from the teachers who were staying during the summer, which included Sprout, McGonagall, Trelawney, Vector and Flitwick.  He sneered at them and snagged an empty seat on Minerva McGonagall's left, the furthest seat from Trelawney.  This morning the enchanted ceiling was a bright sunny sky, reflecting the weather outside.

  Severus piled eggs and bacon on his plate and grabbed a slice of toast, even though he sincerely doubted he would be able to stomach it all.  As he nibbled on the toast he felt the Headmaster's sharp gaze fall on him. 

  "Ah, good morning, Severus," the old man said brightly from Minerva's right.

  "Good morning, Albus."

  "What happened to your face?"  Albus asked.

  Snape set the toast onto his plate and raised a hand to his face feeling a thin slash across his cheek. _ He was rushing through the forest.  He had no idea how he had gotten there, where he was, or where he was going, but walking felt so much better than doing nothing at all.  A branch smacked his cheek, the skin stinging slightly.  He had not noticed it there in his haste to move.  He pulled his hood up over his face in the event that he might not be alone.  Severus Snape was a man with many enemies, all of which who would gladly take the chance to kill him if they found him here, weaponless as he was._

_  He soon found himself stepping into a clearing, a round treeless area which was less dark than the forest around it.  And suddenly he knew he was not alone.  He glanced around the clearing and then noticed a skinny, unruly black haired boy sitting against a tree.  He staggered as his eyes caught sight of the glasses and lightning-bolt scar.   "Potter?"_ 

  "I cut myself shaving."  Severus lied quickly.

  "Is that why you have a five-o'clock shadow?"  McGonagall pointed out.  Severus did not reply, glaring at her and returning to his toast.

  "You look tired," Dumbledore put in.

  "I didn't sleep well," Severus snapped.  'As if _that_ wasn't obvious,' he thought exasperatedly.

  "Bad dream?" the older wizard inquired.

  "Something like that."

**-.-**

**TBC…**

**A/N: Well here's the first chapter, hope you guys all like it!  Please review as it makes poor starving writers like me immensely happy….**


	2. Why am I Stuck Here With Him?

**A/N: Wow, I'm updating again so soon! My muses have been working in overdrive for the past few weeks! Which is good for you guys, 'cause they may not wanna work as hard once school starts…**

**…**

**Dreaming Our Lives Away**

**Chapter One: Why Am I Stuck Here With Him?!?!**

_"Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming,_

_Cannot cease for fear of silent nights.___

_Oh, how I long for the deep sleep dreaming,_

_The goddess of imaginary light."___

-Evanescence, "Imaginary"

…

_"We need to wake up Potter."_

_ Wake up Potter… Wake up Potter…_

"POTTER- YOU BETTER GET YOUR LAZY BUTT OUT OF BED AND START BREAKFAST BEFORE I COME AND MAKE YOU, OR I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR FREAKY FRIENDS THINK-" Vernon Dursley's booming voice interrupted Harry's sleep.

Harry got up with a groan. Despite the fact that he didn't have a nightmare for the first night since he'd returned to Pivet Drive nearly a week ago, his sleep was _far_ from restful. He put his glasses on and trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen, still clad in his bedclothes.

"Well, _Boy_? Look at the time! It's nearly 8:40!" Petunia snapped from her spot at the window, watching the neighbors.

"Sorry," he muttered. Even with the order's "chat" with his relatives, they were hardly any nicer to him than before. Sure, now they made sure _not_ to starve him and let him keep his trunk in his room... but aside from that little had changed. He was still forced to cook breakfast every morning, and the Dursleys were still all too keen on keeping him well aware of their opinions of him. Harry sighed; at least they no longer required him to do a million chores a day.

As Harry was making pancakes his mind wandered to the dream he'd had the night before. It was strange that he'd dream of his most hated professor and it _not_ being a nightmare. Even stranger was the odd realness of the whole ordeal. It felt like he'd actually _been_ there. 'You're _mad_ Harry,' he thought to himself, 'It was just a dream, not at all like the visions you have of Voldemort.'

When the pancakes were finished, he cut up fruit and sat down to eat with his 'family'. Vernon was busy reading the paper, and Dudley was watching TV. Petunia had her long neck stretched at a painful looking angle as she ate, obviously straining to see something out the window. None of the Dursleys spoke a word to Harry's relief, as they never had anything even remotely nice to say to him. It also gave him time to think.

His mind had been curiously void of visions since the happenings at the ministry at the end of the previous school year, and although he wondered at that, he fervently hoped it would remain that way. His nights had been plagued with much less sinister, much more emotionally draining nightmares. Every night since the Ministry _incident_, his mind went back to those horrifying moments when Sirius fell through the veil every time he closed his eyes.

Harry pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Now was _not_ the time to become emotional, especially since he was sitting in the kitchen with the _Dursleys_. Of all the people who could see him cry, the Dursleys were _definitely_ the last he would want to. 'No, I take that back,' he thought, 'Snape would be the last, that greasy _git_.'

As he finished his meal, Harry realized he was no closer to figuring out the meaning of that dream than when he'd first started. He sighed and placed his dishes in the sink, rinsing them out before leaving the kitchen.

…

Severus let out a frustrated sigh as he slammed shut _The Mind's Eye: Decoding Dreams_. This was _useless_! He'd spent the entire afternoon holed up in Hogwarts' expansive library going through every book on dreams he could get his hands on. And what did he get for all his troubles? A _headache_!

Upon discovering that cut on his cheek at breakfast, Severus had been all too ready to tell the headmaster about the strange dream he'd had the night before. But after careful consideration, he rejected that idea on the basis that he did _not_ actually know that the cut could be anything more than a mere coincidence in regards to his dream.

And the headmaster was a very busy man. It would not do to bother him, especially when things were as tense as they were now. Recently Fudge had been announced unfit to be Minister of Magic, and elections were under-way: the candidates being a French wizard by the name of Lasus Armando Le'Estre and none other than the Order's own Arthur Weasley.

Of course, as was wont in a time of crisis or confusion, Albus was forced right smack dab into the middle of things. His advice was requested and he was forced to endure endless meetings, not to mention all the work he had to do in light of Voldemort's return and the ever approaching war. Yes, Albus Dumbledore was a _very _busy man.

So in this, Severus was on his own. And he was getting absolutely _nowhere_ in his research. Wizards had written dozens of books on prophesies, divination and the meaning of prophetic dreams, but _none_ on the actual components of the mind while dreaming. Nor on the possibility of two people sharing dreams.

He left the library with no more knowledge than what he came in with, although his mood had dampened considerably. 'Well, Severus,' he thought as he descended into the dungeons to start on potions needed to restock Poppy's healing cabinets, 'There's no use worrying over something that you have no control over. It may not be _anything_ at all, anyhow. It's not like you haven't woken up with injuries before.'

…

_ He was back in the forest, Severus realized, wondering at his ability to think clearly despite the fact that he was indeed sleeping. He glanced around him to find Potter nearby, sitting back against a tree. 'Ah, seems like we are right where we left off,' he thought._

_ "Do you remember being here before?"_

_ The question surprised him somewhat, and he raised an eyebrow at his companion. Who knew Potter had the intelligence to ask a logical question? "Yes," he replied._

_ Potter was watching him warily. "Why is it that we're here? Are we _really_ dreaming? This all seems too real to be a dream."_

_ "I don't know, I don't think so and I agree." He answered the boy curtly._

_ The Boy-Who-Was-Still-Bloody-Living stared at him dumbfounded. He didn't recall saying anything of intellect, so he really couldn't fathom why the boy could _possibly_ be so confused. "You _agree?_" _

_ "Don't get used to it, Potter. You won't ever hear those words again," he said coldly. Why of all the people for him to be stuck in a forest with, did the Fates have to choose _Potter_? He could find a rock with more brains than that _boy

_ Potter jerked back against the tree slightly and stared at Severus, exclaiming, "Your face!"_

_ "And what, may I ask, is wrong with my face?" He sneered, finding his patience_ already_ drawing thin. He'd only been here for a mere ten minutes and Potter was already making him wish for his wand. Or a really sharp knife... _

_ "That cut, it's still bleeding!"_

_ He lifted a hand to his face, and touched his cheek. His fingers came away wet with blood. "Yes," he said absently, "it seems we've been sent back to the exact moment we'd left when we woke up." A new thought came to his mind. "Occlumency!"_

_ "Professor?"_

_ "Think about it Potter, last year during the Occlumency lessons, what happened?"_

_ "You _attacked_ my mind?" The boy said angrily, earning himself a dark look._

_ "I did _not_ attack _anything_. It's not my fault you're such an _imbecile_ you couldn't even _think_ to actually _practice_!" Severus snapped, feeling an overwhelming urge to hit the insolent boy. Ignoring it, he explained to Potter the significance of the lessons, "During Occlumency lessons our minds connected. I reached into your memories and you into mine." He sighed audibly. "But that doesn't at all explain these dreams, or whatever they may be, just why we're here _together_." He hadn't thought of that before. 'Perhaps another trip to the library will be in order when I wake up,' he thought._

_ "Well, maybe we should, I dunno, look around somewhat." Potter suggested, looking around the clearing. "I mean what use is it just sitting around here? Maybe if we can get out of this forest we might be able to find someone who could help us…"_

_ 'So the boy _can_ actually use his mind.' Severus had begun to doubt that Potter was actually in possession of one._

_ "I don't suppose we have much choice." Yes, the sooner they got out of there the better. 'There's no telling what might reside in this forest...' Severus found that that particular thought was not exactly comforting._

_ And so they began their long trek northward, in search of civilization which may not even exist at all. And as they walked, one thought preoccupied both their thoughts, 'Why did I have to get stuck here with _him_?'_

**TBC…**

**A/N: Hmm.. Looks like our two boys are having trouble getting along.. Who would've thought it? :)**

**Oh and I'm sorry that Harry's POV is so short, I planned on making it longer but my plot bunnies wouldn't let me! Dang those cute lil bunnies! I can't deny them anything!**

**Lasus Armando Le'Estre is my own character, and consequently he will never be mentioned again. **

**Le'Estre and Lasus are not actually French names to my knowledge. I simply made them up.**

**…**

**Response to Reviews:**

**duj****, and Vaughn- Thanks! It's great hearing that Harry and Sev are in Character, 'cause I was a bit worried there myself…**

**lila**** Thanks!**

**t.a.g.0-**** Thanks! I never actually intended to put the whole cut thing in there, but my plot bunnies insisted… Eventually this will be a Harry/Severus Friendship/Mentorship story, but I don't intend them to begin to like each other for quite some time… It's more fun writing them when they hate each other!**

**Perdita**** Bly- Thanks! It _is _difficult finding a story without slash in it! Which completely annoys me, 'cause I _don't_ read slash! **

**Sevti**** Rune- Thanks! I really can't say how often I'll be updating, as I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't be having much time for writing once school starts on Wednesday! But I hope to be able to update at least once a month, if not more… **

**Nemo**** Returning- Thanks! (sounding like a broken record here..) Yeup, it _isn't_ a surprise. But since Harry is young, and needs someone to blame, he picks the easiest scapegoat he can find. Severus continually saves him and the others, but since Harry hates him he places the blame on his shoulders. (Though I think the whole thing was mostly Harry's fault to be truthful…) **

****


	3. You've Got to be Kidding Me!

**A/N: Okay, I feel pretty bad for waiting so long to update this. Sigh, hopefully I can be better with this, since I do have a deadline now.... With the schedule I've been keeping this never will be finished. **

**Dreaming Our Lives Away**

****

**Chapter Two: You've Got to be Kidding Me!**

_"Now I have seen the glory.  
And you will see the fun. _

_And we will fight together  
Like father and son.  
Cause I am done.  
Yes I have won."_

-Burlap to Cashmere "Scenes"

-.-

****

_"You've got to be kidding me!" Harry cried in exasperation staring at the wizard before him._

_ "I most assuredly am not," Snape replied, glaring down at him. He stood stock-still, arms crossed, face set in a displeased frown. It rather reminded Harry of him in the classroom, angry again at Neville who'd gotten something wrong._

_ "We've been-" he started._

_ "I do not remember giving you a choice." _

_ It was Harry's turn to glare, now. They'd been going on for hours and had yet to find any sign of civilization- or a sign that the woods truly did have an ending. "You bloody tyrant! I'm tired and am not moving another step! You can walk 'til you faint all you want, but I'm stopping!"_

_ Snape calmly raised an eyebrow, then turned on his heal and started off again. "Wait! Where you going?" Harry called out after him._

_ "I do believe I am walking until I faint, is that how you put it?" He did not so much as turn around to look at Harry as he walked. _

_ Harry let out a loud groan as he pulled himself to his feet and hurried after the older man. He was no idiot. At least with Snape around he'd have something to feed to the bears. _

_ "We've only been walking for two hours," Snape saw fit to inform him when he caught up._

_ "And how do you know that?" Harry retorted._

_ Snape didn't answer, simply smirking at him in that infuriating superior way of his._

_He _really_ hated that man._

_-.-_

"Severus?" the concerned voice shattered the dream world around him, sending him crashing back to reality.

"Albus." _What is he doing in my rooms?_ He opened his eyes, expecting to see the insides of his bedroom. Only the sight before him was hardly as comforting as that, and certainly much less wanted. White walls laughed at him as he recognized a room that was none other than the hospital wing. And to make things worse, he felt as if he'd been run over by the Hogwarts Express. Twice. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, echoing Potter's earlier words.

"What was that Severus?" Albus asked.

"What am I doing _here_?"

"You don't remember?"

"Well, no," Severus replied sarcastically, "I simply find it enjoyable asking pointless questions that I already know the answers to."

"You had a mishap in the lab. An unfinished potion exploded and you were doused with the contents." The old man watched him carefully, as if trying to gauge his reaction.

_A Potions accident._ The odd irony of it all was rather amusing, as much as it annoyed him. _I'm a certified Potions Master and I exploded a simple healing draught. That explains the pain at any rate._

"The question is, my boy, how in the world did a Potions Master botch such a simple potion?" _That's Albus, always one to get straight to the point- after beating around the bush so long the branches all fall off._

"I was distracted," he defended himself, not even entirely sure about the fact himself. He could not remember anything past his beginning to brew an Ear Relieving potion. True to its name, the potion was created for healing earaches.

"Oh?"

"Yes," Severus hissed, angry at his own pathetic attempts at lying. And he was usually so good at it. He blamed it on the pain. "I was tired and thinking about lesson plans, and I just forgot about the potion."

As if the trigger to his memory, he realized what had happened. _Severus had been exhausted at the start of the potion, the lack of a good night's sleep and the full day of brewing catching up to him. He'd started it anyways, thinking that he could do the last, go to supper, then sleep. He'd completely skipped lunch again, too busy to even bother with such trivialities. He was adding a dragonfly wing, when a funny light-headed feeling came over him. And then he woke up._

He chuckled. So he did end up fainting after all. Albus sent him a worried look, as if fearing for his Potion Master's sanity. Which Severus really couldn't blame him for, given the events of the prior night, namely the potion "mishap". He sighed. He may never live this down. "I'm fine, Albus. I overworked myself a bit, that's all."

The headmaster did not look convinced. "Alright, but you will be staying here for a few days regardless."

"Albus! I have things I need to do. What if He calls? I can't just ignore it!" Severus protested quietly, so as not to let the matriarch of the hospital wing to hear him.

"We'll work that out as it happens," he replied, unconcerned.

"But-"

"Severus." Albus's voice held a note of warning in it. This only served to make him feel as if he was a small child and was being forced to eat his vegetables; on the threat of no dessert of course. He sighed at cliché of it all and wondered if everyone was forced to feel such a way at least once during the course of their adulthood.

"Fine," he grumbled. Might as well let the doddering fool have his fun, even if it did leave him the clutches of Pomfrey.

After Dumbledore had finally left, Severus's thoughts strayed back to the consequences of what had happened the night before, at least he'd assumed it was only a night ago. What if it had been longer? Pushing that aside, he mulled over the hold that theses dreams had all too suddenly taken over him.

It was obvious that any hurts he endured during the dream would remain when he's wake. But it did not seem to go the other way around. He'd sustained injury in his lab, yet had not felt it while he was in the forest.

Also a problem was his fainting spell. Was it from exhaustion or did the dream have some sort of control over it? He'd have to consult Potter about it, as loathe as he was to do a thing like that.

"Ah, dear, you're awake," Poppy entered the room with a vial of burn healing potion.

He rolled his eyes. "How long was I unconscious?"

"A little over twelve hours." The woman shoved into his hands the vial, moving past him to straighten the sheets of the beds around him. Beds that had remained unused for most of the summer. Clearly she was waiting for him to take the potion.

He smirked and shook the vial a bit, fully intending to play with it until she got annoyed with him and left. The one good thing about women: annoy them enough and they will eventually leave a guy alone.

This woman, however, was a nurse and would have none of it. After tiring of the charade she took the vial from him, and pulled off the top. As he stared at her in a vague surprise, she pushed his head back, pulled his mouth open and poured the liquid inside. She then promptly clamped her hand over his jaws and nose, forcing him to swallow it.

Swallowing the potion, he rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. When would he finally be rid of the mothering?

**TBC....**

**A/N: This is quite a bit more humorous than I expected it to be. I guess it's a good thing that this story is not supposed to be quite as angsty as my others. It's been several months since I updated. I should really be ashamed. _Really._ **

**Reviewer Responses**

**ShadowedHand****: Thank you. You know, it may be kinda amusing having a stalker...**

**Sevti**** Rune: School... Shudder I'm glad that it's not such a problem it being more in Sev's point of view, since I prefer writing it in his.**

**Deciple of the Vault: Thank you. I'm glad he's IC. Ron and Hermione will eventually show up, but are not major characters in this story.**

**elvengirl9: Thank you. Glad that you're not dying of suspense, cause that would lose me a reader. ;)**

**Padawan**** Jan AQ: Thank you. It is almost a certainty that they will meet harm in the forest. 0:-) As to whether their wounds if healed in RL will show up again in the dream... That is to be seen.**

**texasjeanette****: Thank you.**

**Viskii****: Thank you.**

**Grym****: lol. Stupid school... always distracting writers from the important stuff (writing). Yes the holidays have given me time with this story (and my cute plot bunnies!), thankfully. This poor story has been abandoned for so long...**

**Japonica: Thanks.**


	4. To the Wolves We Go

**A/N: This story is AU, in fact it really was AU _before_ the sixth book came out, since something like this would never happen in the books, or they'd be a lot longer than they already are (and fans would be happier). This is not HBP compatible, it never will be.**

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**Dreaming Our Lives Away  
Chapter Three: To the Wolves We Go**

Harry woke up to find himself, slumped over the homework he'd fallen asleep trying to finish. A large black ink splotch marred the neatly written essay, and his face, he realized upon attempting to rub his eyes. Ink smeared across his hands and he wondered if Vernon was finished with the bathroom yet. A bright stream of sunlight streamed through his small window, but the fact that the Dursley's weren't yelling told him that it was sometime before eight.

He sighed and left his room regardless. To his luck, the bathroom was, in fact, empty. He quickly showered and dressed, all the while brooding over his current situation. It was just his luck, really, being thrown into _another_ potentially dangerous position with a person he didn't even like.

Once again, he let a sigh pass through his lips. It wasn't fair. Just because he was Harry-bloody-Potter he was forced time and time again to deal with things that even grown wizards would be swift to avoid. But he was the Boy-Who-Lived, created simply for the reason to kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. It was quite pathetic, he decided as he went through his daily chores.

Of all the wizards actually capable of offing the Dark Lord, it had to be him. A sixteen year old boy who wanted nothing more than to be normal. Too bad he wasn't.

He loathed his life.

-.-

_Back in the forest, with Snape at his side, Harry could only surmise that he was once again dreaming. But something was different, different from the first two times he'd found himself here. He almost couldn't place it, the change was so imperceptible, but when he did..._

"_Sound..." he heard his own voice whisper. The chattering, rustling, all noise that attested to life... was completely gone._

_In its stead the forest stood, terrifyingly silent. Harry shuddered. He'd never taken the time to consider how comforting the sounds of the forest had been, until they were already gone._

"_Something's coming," Snape stated. Harry shot him a look. The man stood there calmly, as if planning on waiting for whatever it was to come and eat them. Or maybe he was waiting for it to come and eat Harry... whatever the reason, Harry didn't find himself as content to stick around and find out._

_He turned and prepared to flee, but a small glow from the trees behind stopped him. A pair of glowing eyes. Looking around himself to see more pairs of glowing eyes he realized that there was nowhere to run. _

_They were trapped._

_The air filled with growls and hungry whines as the creatures circled them, hungry and waiting for their next meal. Which, Harry presumed, was to be them. "Professor," he whispered, "Professor!"_

"_Try to do magic, Potter."_

"_What?"_

"_Magic," the other hissed. "Wandless."_

_The dark haired man closed his eyes as if in concentration, and paid no more attention to the young man beside him. Harry sighed. _I suppose there's no harm in trying... _He closed his eyes also and concentrated._

Reducto_, he thought. Nothing. _Reducto. Reducto. Reducto._ Nothing. No matter how hard he concentrated, nothing happened. The growls grew louder, the creatures closer. _

_He opened his eyes to see that they were wolves. Simple, non-magical creatures. He felt a bit of relief, until it crossed his mind that it really didn't matter. They were still going to eat him._

"_Professor, nothing's happening..." he turned to the other man, only he wasn't there. "Professor? Snape? Where are you-" But the Potions Master was nowhere to be seen._

-.-

Severus was jolted to awareness as a strange burning sensation coursed through his left arm, which before long, he realized was his Dark Mark. Voldemort was calling him.

He blinked several times, then drug himself up and out of the bed. He was still so tired... He almost understood what Poppy had been trying to tell him: he really did need to get some sleep. Only almost, though, since he was still too stubborn to admit to the older witch's wisdom.

With a soft call of _'accio' _his Death Eater robes zipped into the hospital wing. The wizard quickly changed and made his way out of the school. No doubt he'd probably just woken up half of the inhabitants of the school by tripping some ward placed on his bed, but he didn't bother to inform any of where he was headed. They'd guess when he couldn't be found in the school, and he was a bit too tired to care.

Severus swept out the double doors and onto the grounds, not noting the intrinsic beauty of the shimmering lake, the tall foreboding trees, or the way the moon lighted upon the grass in such a way that it was breathtaking. He also didn't take note of his silent follower, for once not sensing that behind him was an intruder.

A deadly mistake for a spy, really, but he was in luck. For the one behind him wished him no harm. It was simply an old man watching out for his son- the child he'd claimed as his so many years ago, even if he really had no claim to him.

Albus Dumbledore was worried. This was not an entirely new feeling to him, yet it also wasn't an entirely common one. He'd always been able to find the answers. With a bit of work, he found that all mysteries could be solved. But now he'd come to a question he couldn't begin to contemplate, let alone answer it. Why was Severus acting so strangely?

Why was he so tired lately? Why was he making mistakes with his potions that made even Neville Longbottom look like a master? Why was he acting so rashly, so recklessly?

Maybe he was forcing too much of the young wizard, maybe the boy had reached the end of his spying days. Albus didn't want to lose Severus... And if he might run the risk of being caught- then the Headmaster would have to coerce him into retirement, at least of that one duty. The younger wizard did have his uses elsewhere, after all.

He watched the dark haired wizard sweep off into the forest, to reach the Apparation point, and he wondered if Severus might soon find it in his heart to confide in him. He hoped the man might; if only to let him know, if not relinquish the duties that were so plaguing the other.

Albus found himself staring into the forest for quite a bit of time, as if to assure himself that the other would be alright. But eventually he went back to his rooms to pace away the night. He knew he would not be sleeping tonight.

-.-

Where did Snape go?_ Harry found himself wondering as he faced the hungry beasts before him. Did the wizard Apparate away without him? The man should know that Harry couldn't Apparate himself. _Would he just leave me here for the wolves?_ He shook at the thought._

_Would he? Harry didn't really know. Snape definitely hated him; there was no doubt of _that._ But Dumbledore would be furious if he learned that-_

And who says he'll find out?_ His inner voice whispered to him. "SNAPE! Oh please, oh please come back..." The pack of wolves looked hungrier than ever- and they were only a mere couple of feet away._

_Then the unthinkable happened, well the thing that Harry _refused_ to think of. One of the wild dogs made its move. It was a large creature, almost as black as the night sky. It looked to me the pack alpha._

_Harry was frozen to the spot as the wolf leapt at him, aiming for his exposed throat. "SNAPE! Someone! Anyone!"_

_But there was no one there to hear him._

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**TBC...**

**A/N: Oops. Was that a Cliffie? Hehe.**

**Much love to all my reviewers, who in spite of the wait _and _HBP, I hope will continue to enjoy this story AND review it. **

**Notice that there are no lyrics to this chapter, I read something in the Guidelines that_ suggested_ that lyrics shouldn't be put in stories. I almost ignored it. **

**:-:Grin:-: Remember, I am a poor writer who can't afford to eat (five course meals) and it is imperative that you review. Or else I'll die of squishdom and kaput! No more stories.**

**Note: The above paragraph is not intended seriously (well maybe the fact that I can't afford five course meals is). Squishdom is not a disease (as far as I know- don't quote me on that). And I would continue to write even if no one reviewed (though I may not post it). **


	5. You Don't Believe That, Though, Do You?

**A/N: Sorry it's been so long. Sorry it's so short.

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**Dreaming Our Lives Away  
****Chapter Four: You Don't Believe That, Though, Do You?**

_Harry was frozen to the spot as the wolf leapt at him, aiming for his exposed throat. "SNAPE! Someone! Anyone!"_

_But there was no one there to hear him._

_He took a step backwards, and then tripped over a fallen limb. The wolf sailed over him and into a tree. The others closed in. _"Stop!"_ he screamed a bit uselessly. It wasn't as if they could understand him._

_But stop they did. The wolves stood frozen before him, as if they had been hit with a powerful freezing spell. He pulled himself off of the ground, still a bit in shock. What had happened to them?_

_He stared at the wolves for a moment more, unsure of what to do. There was a great possibility that they would not remain immobile for long, but he was slightly fearful of leaving the clearing. If Snape were to return here and he were to be gone, would Harry be stuck in this place alone?_

_Finally he just followed his gut and skirted around the creatures. Hopefully he and the other wizard would meet up again, but he couldn't risk his life on that thought alone. After he was a little bit away from the wild dogs, he broke out into a run. He wasn't sure where he was running to. It just felt better moving away from that danger._

_He would never have believed that he would ever want to be in the presence of Severus Snape. But, right now, he wanted nothing more than to be with Snape again. _

_-.-_

Snape stood in Voldemort's circle of followers and listened to him address his current matters of importance. He was so tired… His eyes snapped open once more. Funny. He hadn't noticed that they'd been closed.

"Severus?" the Dark Lord sneered, "I'm certainly glad you showed up tonight, but really, could you try staying with the rest of us?" The glint in those red eyes sent a tingle of fear down his spine.

"Sorry, Milord."

Voldemort smiled at him calmly. _"Crucio."_

He didn't cry out when the spell hit him. The pain felt unbearable and unending, even though it lasted mere seconds. He slumped to his knees"I hope you all have learned an important lesson from Severus here…" the dark wizard started, but Snape never heard him finish. A wave of black crashed before his eyes and the Dark Lord and his followers were swept away by unconsciousness.

-.-

_He was back in the clearing, but Potter was nowhere to be seen. The wolves were currently slinking away, suddenly afraid of him even though they had not been before. Snape couldn't help but wonder where the boy had gone and what he had done with those creatures before his departure._

_Pulling himself to his feet, Snape called out the child's name. "Potter!" There wasn't an answer- at least not one that Severus could hear. So, he did what any rational spy would do. He searched the now empty clearing for signs of the boy._

_After much investigation that yielded nothing but the tracks of the forest creatures, the wizard was quite ready to give up. He was tired and in pain, the _Crucio's _lingering effects making any movement painful and exhausting, and this was getting him nowhere. _

"_Potter get your sorry arse here or I'm going to-" A pop sounded to his immediate left and he turned to see the boy standing beside him. "How did you do that?" he snapped._

"_I didn't," Potter replied. "I was just sitting there." A brief search of his mind showed that the boy wasn't lying._

"_What happened to the wolves?"_

_Potter looked around. "They were about to get me… They jumped at me, I yelled and they stopped moving. Completely." He suddenly looked angry. "Where did you _go?"

"_I was awoken by… Damn."_

"_What?"_

_Snape glared at the boy as if this was his fault. "It appears that you and I may not have much choice in staying conscious any longer. Apparently our lack of sleep is allowing for this world to have a much stronger hold on us."_

"_Where were you?" Potter didn't look accusing, only curious. But that curiosity could very well get the pair of them killed._

_The older wizard sighed. It certainly couldn't hurt him here speaking to the boy so candidly. "I was with the Dark Lord." Potter nodded. He seemed to understand the danger that Snape would face when he awoke. _

"_We're in trouble aren't we professor?"_

"_Possibly. We seem to have some sort of power over this forest, however little it may be, Mr. Potter. When we are particularly distressed or frustrated it appears to fulfill our needs. We may yet get out of here."_

_The boy was silent for a long moment. They started to walk as one._

"_You don't believe that, though, do you professor?"_

_Snape's silence spoke far louder than his words had ever before._

_-.-_

Voldemort watched as Snape crumbled to the ground. "Get him, Peter." The wizard in question scrambled to the fallen man and grabbed him from under his armpits, struggling all the way to keep a hold on him. The Dark Lord sneered. Idiot.

He moved over to the pair and felt the dark haired man for a pulse. It was strong and steady. He sighed. He hadn't hit the younger man very hard with the curse; there was no reason for him to collapse like this. He sent a diagnostic spell over the unconscious wizard: exhaustion, the lingering effects of the Cruciatus, and something else.

A surge of anger shot through him. Just like Snape to get sick when his lord needed him. But there was nothing he could do of that. "Apparate him back to Hogwarts," he ordered Wormtail.

As the little man disappeared, Voldemort turned back to his other followers. "There have been recent developments with the Potter boy that not all of you have been apprised of…"

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**TBC**

**A/N: Sorry. I will try to be better at updating. I promise.**


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